72 Comments

Saybon Vie mercie!

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Having seen your apartment, I can’t help but wondering where you keep all the stuff you buy on these trips.

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Sep 21Liked by David Lebovitz

We have been thinking about returning to Cadeques, Spain, which I just found is only 2 hours from the restaurants you mention near Narbonne. It would be a wonderful day trip. I also found while Googling, that there is a fabulous looking barge cruise on the Canal du Midi. I have enjoyed this post so much and it has broadened my travel horizons. Thank you for sharing your and Romain's trip. I always look forward to your posts.

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Terrific articles!! What a nice holiday you had.

Authenticity. The other day I had to make a last minute lunch for unexpected guests, and I wanted to make something “out of the fridge.” Slim pickings, but I’d spit-roasted a chicken the previous day and fortunately, half of it was left. Someone said “Chicken Caesar,” and my heart curdled at the thought of making such an “inauthentic” dish. I’ve always stressed the authenticity of a dish as the only way, and turned up my nose at the Chicken Caesar idea, likening it to Pasta Primavera, that dominated the 1980’s (there was even a restaurant chain). I got talked down, got over myself, got out the chicken carcass and Romain lettuce, and made a proper Caesar dressing. The salad was a hit, and I’ll admit it was delicious – how could it not be, with such a yummy dressing – and beautiful. A few days later, another set of unexpected guests called, and I made it again, this time spit-roasting the chicken specifically for the salad. So, I guess it’s now a thing at the house. So much for authenticity, at least with that salad. The flavorful trumps the ‘authentic.’ Bon appétit!

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Have you eaten at Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne? After reading about it in the New Yorker, I made a reservation for next February.

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I haven't. We had a reservation but decided we didn't have the appetite to eat all that food and it seems like more of a winter experience.

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Thank you. Yes, it requires a good appetite. I mainly want to see the lobster tower, and it’s a good excuse for a trip to Narbonne and surroundings.

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David - quick question re: the lovely array of pots/bowls you bought - how do you wash them? By hand?

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I was everything by hand when I get it home : )

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Just returned from a visit to the shop on our way home from the French Basque region. What a fantastic place! I wouldn't have known anything about them but for your post so a big thank-you for our recently-acquired cassoulet dish we look forward to trying out soon.

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Sep 19Liked by David Lebovitz

Lovely post David-the food you enjoyed looks amazing, especially the oeufs mayo and cod with aioli. Eggs and anything with aioli makes me happy. I love that part of France. We spent several days in St Remy and found the town to be absolutely delightful. I'm looking forward to Part 2 of your travels....:)

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St Rémy is nice but is certainly a lot more popular than when I visited it 25 years ago. But it was nice to see places like Joël Durand chocolate and Lilamond, the folks who candy fruit, still there.

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Wonderful journal of your vacation, your descriptions and photos are mouth watering. Thanks again for sharing!😎

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Hi David, I love reading your posts. I have lived in Paris off and on for 60 years. My grandchildren (6/9) from Berlin are meeting me end of October. Can you recommend a good bakery that gives classes to families?

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Thanks and glad you're enjoying the posts! I don't know any bakeries in Paris that do that (most aren't set up for classes) but La Cuisine does very good French baking classes and may be able to set something private up for you and your family: https://lacuisineparis.com/paris-baking-pastry-classes

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Sep 18Liked by David Lebovitz

Great post comme toujours, Daveed. Do you have an idea of when the Caesar Salad showed up on French menus? To my mind 20 years ago a main course salad would be frisée with baked goat cheese and walnuts, but not Caesar. Even in 2017 I didn't notice it on Parisian menus, but on my visits this year and last, for sure. Even in Pamplona it was a menu item (and not the best choice, I'm sad to say). As for stumbling upon good restaurants, in Biarritz this spring we found one neighborhood joint, Cheri Bibi, with really lovely fresh food. In future will follow your "Le Fooding" advice. You and Romain should explore Le Pays Basque!

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When I arrived here, circa 2003, they were showing up on menus, mostly as a curiosity around that time (I think!) Then they gained traction and nowadays even supermarkets sell Caesar Dressing in bottles, which I think led partly to people thinking anything was a Caesar Salad as long as it had "Caesar" dressing on it.

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I felt validated after reading your commentary on mediocre food. I was in Calais last month and had dinner at a restaurant that my Airbnb host, who was born and raised there, recommended highly. The food was so bad that I only took a couple of bites of each course. {I should mention that one of my superpowers is picking terrible restaurants while I'm traveling.}

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Often when traveling, if you ask at hotels for recommendations, they'll send you to places they think you'll like. Many people often (incorrectly) assume that tourists, or Americans, don't care about food. So when I ask people for restaurant recommendations, when they ask what kind of food I like, I say, "Fresh." That usually gives them pause before giving the recommendation

: )

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I love that and will have to try it!

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Sep 18Liked by David Lebovitz

I love traveling and eating vicariously with David and Romain!

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So much good food, and I was pleased when you gave us an option to look at a proper Daube Nicoise. Like you, my husband is not a great lover of Ratatouille, but I am going to have to cook your recipe and try him out once again. I have not seen Brie/Camembert served with Olive Oil before, an interesting concept. Thank you for a delightful read and the extensions which definitely add to the interest of your posts. I will look forward to episode 2.

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That's a fresh goat cheese with olive oil, which is a popular way to serve it in the south of France, although people in Middle Eastern countries often serve fresh cheeses that way as well. It's delicious - especially with good olive oil.

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Thank you David, I mentioned the other cheeses as that’s what it looked like. Next time I am out shopping it will look for a round of goats cheese, I only buy it marinated in oil…doh!!! why did I think it was something new lol……what a dumbo I am.

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I did get my French drivers license, and it really was as horrible and difficult as your friend said. I'll be publishing a longer piece about it soon on my own Substack. Most French adults I talked to admitted that they didn't think they could pass le Code (the written part) at our age (I was nearly 50 when I took it), now that our brains are less able to retain thousands of otherwise useless details. Then, despite having a valid drivers license for 34 years, I had to pay for ten hours of one-on-one behind the wheel instruction where I learned that according to the French I'm a terrible driver and I use the clutch in ways that are simply not allowed. And it was expensive: about 1,500 euros.

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If you're lucky enough to come from one of the US states that has an exchange program with France, you can exchange your US license for free! You have to jump on it, as you have to do it within the first year of residency. Although we don't have a car and rarely rent one, my husband and I exchanged ours so that we would have a valid license when visited the US. We also use it as an ID when we need to pick up a package at the post office.

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I often wonder why, if the test is so hard, people drive the way they do in Paris. A friend was taking driving lessons and the teacher was really mean to her. Finally she stopped and asked him why he was being so mean. He replied, "I'm getting you ready for the test."

A French friend's daughter who is the equivalent of a straight A student failed the written test the first time, and she's never failed a test before, so she is completely devastated and won't take the rest again. And yes...as you mention, you have to pay to take more classes, which schools make more money charging for. €1500 sounds cheap - I thought most French driving schools were about twice the price.

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Thank you for letting us come along on your journey!❤️

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Sep 17Liked by David Lebovitz

I love all the food photos. So colorful and I can almost taste what you are describing. Thanks for taking us on your journey. Looking forward to Part 2.

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